LSU is at a crossroads in its season at 5-0 going into Gainesville to play No. 10 Florida in The Swamp. Here's what they need to survive:

Stop Mike Gillislee,
Gator running game

LSU Talkin' Tigers: vs. FloridaNola.com / The Times-Picayune LSU football reporters Jim Kleinpeter and Randy Rosetta break down the upcoming game against Florida with sports columnist Jeff Duncan, then recruiting reporter James Smith looks at some LSU prospects for 2014.

When Florida hired Will
Muschamp, there was no doubt the Florida offense
would evolve into something similar to what Nick Saban runs at Alabama and what he ran
at LSU. A power rushing attack will be the primary force for the Gators' new
approach, which is to be physical on both sides of the ball. Mike Gillislee has
fit the bill so far, rushing for 402 yards in four games and helping the Gators
to the No. 3 rushing offense in the SEC behind Georgia and LSU.

The Gators
might target the right side where defensive end Barkevious Mingo is in his
first year as a starter. Mingo is light for an end at 240 pounds and is
susceptible to being overpowered. Besides that, Sam Montgomery is on the other
side. This isn't 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Quarterback Jeff Driskel is a
capable passer and adds good running ability, but the Gators are still next to
last in passing yardage per game. Stopping the running attack would put the
pressure on Driskel to win it with his arm.

Pull the passing game
together

Now that SEC schedule has begun, the Tigers' offense can't rely solely on
the running game. The passing game has been slow in developing and has been a
liability at times. It's not just quarterback Zach Mettenberger, who has shown
some incremental improvement. The protection has been inconsistent between the
offensive line and the running backs, and the receivers have had difficulty
getting open and hanging onto the ball.

This game marks the midpoint of the
season and these flaws should have been addressed and corrected before now. LSU
doesn't have a big-play receiver like Rueben Randle was last year. Odell Beckham
Jr. is the closest thing to it and he's struggled to shoulder the burden. He
did play well last week against Towson but the
Gators present a more difficult secondary, which has contributed to Florida being fourth in
the SEC in passing yardage allowed.

Don't succumb to The
Swamp

Fans are closer to the visiting players at Florida than any other SEC venue, and those
fans know it. They've been in heckling distance of every foe from Bo Jackson to
Peyton Manning to even former Gators coach Steve Spurrier. They never
stop. Beyond that, Florida is 124-18 in The
Swamp since 1990, second best home record in the nation to Nebraska. The 85,000 plus that cram in to
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium make as much or more noise than those in Tiger Stadium.

LSU has to avoid what happened at Auburn
where they were sharp on their first two series but two fumbles lost in the
first quarter prevented a knockout punch and pumped the crowd. That pumped up
the team which made it a fight the rest of the day. LSU escaped with the win
but won't be as lucky if that scenario plays out this week.